Trying to plan our budget.......

[orlandochick]

Hi all, last April we did 14 nights solely in Disney, and have just booked our holiday for next Feb. This time we are doing a 4 night Disney Cruise and then 6 nights in Orlando. I have booked Discovery Cove for Valentines day, and plan on our remaining days, to visit Busch Gardens, Seaworld and Aqautica.

I have just discovered that you can't take your own food into these parks. Now last year we took a packed lunch into Disney Parks most days and this saved our money for delicious meals at restaurants each evening. When it says no food, does that also mean fruit and snacks etc for the kids?

I cannot find any info about prices etc, and although we don't have a tight budget as such, we usually plan to spend a set amount each day, so knowing prices would be a bonus. Any help much appreciated x

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Hi all, last April we did 14 nights solely in Disney, and have just booked our holiday for next Feb. This time we are doing a 4 night Disney Cruise and then 6 nights in Orlando. I have booked Discovery Cove for Valentines day, and plan on our remaining days, to visit Busch Gardens, Seaworld and Aqautica.

I have just discovered that you can't take your own food into these parks. Now last year we took a packed lunch into Disney Parks most days and this saved our money for delicious meals at restaurants each evening. When it says no food, does that also mean fruit and snacks etc for the kids?

I cannot find any info about prices etc, and although we don't have a tight budget as such, we usually plan to spend a set amount each day, so knowing prices would be a bonus. Any help much appreciated x

For Seaworld, depending on your set amount a day and if you are planning on staying in the park the whole time you may want to consider all day dining. Also keep in mind bottled water is $3/each, so factor this in when seeing if all day dining would work for you (it is included).
It is showing online as $29.99/pp per day right now. AP holders get a discount.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

The Seaworld parks' food and beverage policy is found here:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/park-info/food-and-beverage-policy/

Basically, unless you have special dietary concerns which necessitate you bringing your own food, you should plan on purchasing your meals and snacks inside the park.

Now...that said....dining at SW (and the sister parks) is MUCH cheaper than dining at Disney. And the SW parks each offer an all-day dining option which is open to every guest, not just those staying onsite like Disney. Another bonus is that's it truly unlimited from breakfast right through to 30 minutes prior to park closing, and it includes unlimited drinks and snacks as well (from participating restaurants, not from the snack carts). There are lots of healthy options, too, from fettucini alfredo to barbecued chicken, from fruit cups to salads and wraps, so just don't think hot dogs and french fries.

That means a cold bottle of water whenever you need it. On a hot day, we can drink our plan value alone!

SW's all-day dining price varies by season. Its usually between $29.99 and $34.99 per adult. We snagged it for $24 pp on the annual "Blue Friday" sale (held on the Black Friday weekend each year). Considering that includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, all the drinks we want, and unlimited in-between food, you can't beat it!!

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/dine-and-shop/dining/all-day-dining-deal/

Aquatica's all day dining is $18 pp. Its a little different than the SW plan, as its at one restaurant only (the Banana Beach Buffet). But again, you can visit as many times as you wish throughout the day for the one price. And again, we picked up dining passes on Blue Friday for $12 (a $6 saving pp)...making it an incredible value. Where else can you eat all day long (breakfast excluded, as the Banana Beach Buffet doesn't open until 11 IIRC) for $12? That's as cheap as one adult meal at Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach (and the food is comparable in quality).

http://aquaticabyseaworld.com/en/orlando/dine-and-shop/dining/banana-beach/

I haven't been to BG, but their all day dining plan is currently $32.99, and I believe it works the same as SW's plan:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/buschga...hop/dining/busch-gardens-all-day-dining-deal/

If you were looking for something different, SW offers "Dine with Shamu", a very diverse and flavorful buffet of sustainable foods (though still having many options that appeal to the young and young-at-heart) for $29.99 pp. Seating is right along the glass of the whale pool (on the opposite side of the One Ocean theater) and you get an up-close presentation by the killer whales and trainers that's really very cool. Much more affordable than the Disney buffets and it also includes a free 6 x 8 family photo.

If you still wish to eat a picnic lunch, I do believe there are picnic areas for guest use but they are located outside the park gates. So you would have to leave your food in your car, exit the park at meal time, eat your picnic lunch in the designated area, then re-enter the park afterward.

Since you have time to wait, I would definitely suggest holding off and watching for the meal plans on the Blue Friday sale. I think, particularly at SW, you would be very pleased with the options available. Its not your typical quick service (though those choices are available too). There are tons of non-burger, non-pizza selections available and their chocolate cake is heaven .

 

[orlandochick]

Wow thanks for the tips

 

[momof2n2]

Hi all, last April we did 14 nights solely in Disney, and have just booked our holiday for next Feb. This time we are doing a 4 night Disney Cruise and then 6 nights in Orlando. I have booked Discovery Cove for Valentines day, and plan on our remaining days, to visit Busch Gardens, Seaworld and Aqautica. I have just discovered that you can't take your own food into these parks. Now last year we took a packed lunch into Disney Parks most days and this saved our money for delicious meals at restaurants each evening. When it says no food, does that also mean fruit and snacks etc for the kids? I cannot find any info about prices etc, and although we don't have a tight budget as such, we usually plan to spend a set amount each day, so knowing prices would be a bonus. Any help much appreciated x

I hope I can help you!

We are in Kissimmee area right now. 5/2-5/17. We did a four night cruise with ten land days wrapped around. We got the $149 tickets to give us unlimited admission to SeaWorld, BG, and Aquatica. We did one day each so far and are doing BG again today and SeaWorld again tomorrow.

At Aquatica we did the all day Beach Buffet. We loved the convenience of just walking through, grabbing a drink, and that it had dessert, too. The food was not out of this world delicious, but I saw it as paying for the convenience.

Our first day at SW was Mother's Day so we did all day dining as a gift to me. We loved it and will do it again tomorrow. That was $32.99 per adult. This was great!!! We have six kids and normally we had to budget-budget-budget. Normally we use a lot of drinking fountains and carry in snacks at disney. So while we did end up spending a little more doing the all day dining, we enjoyed the experience SO much. Grabbing bottles of water and DESSERTS. Having a single price was helpful.

BG was different for us. It is only open 8 hour days this week so all day dining doesn't make sense. We really missed the convenience. We did one late late day lunch at 2PM at Garden G ate cafe. Decent buffet. Was $77 for the 7 of us (one baby). We ate a huge meal then with the pizza/pasta/dessert buffet. Chicken parm was very good.

Do make sure you get at least one member of your party a premium pass (we got DH) super Grover. It was $30 more and paid for itself from the start. It included free parking ($17 normal) and PREMIUM parking at That ($22!). And they let him apply it to the all day dining for 10% off. So worth it.

Have to run. Ready to leave for BG. Please ask me anything.

 

[momof2n2]

Just realized you already have passes planned. Maybe you already have parking covered...

 

[orlandochick]

Thanks for your info. Having had a good look I think we will definitely do Dine with Shamu at SW, it looks so much fun for the kids and will be a nice suprise for them. Does anyone know how far in advance we should book that?

As for Aquatica we will probably do the all day dining option, even though we won't eat our evening meal there, it's still cheaper and means we don't need to worry about carrying anything with us.

I love these forums! I'm getting so many tips!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Thanks for your info. Having had a good look I think we will definitely do Dine with Shamu at SW, it looks so much fun for the kids and will be a nice suprise for them. Does anyone know how far in advance we should book that?

I would book as soon as your dates are released. Unless something has changed since our visit in December 2012, tables are assigned in the order that reservations were booked, so those that made reservations the earliest got the tables closest to the glass (which is where you want to be for the best view).

Like this:

 

[momof2n2]

Thanks for your info. Having had a good look I think we will definitely do Dine with Shamu at SW, it looks so much fun for the kids and will be a nice suprise for them. Does anyone know how far in advance we should book that? As for Aquatica we will probably do the all day dining option, even though we won't eat our evening meal there, it's still cheaper and means we don't need to worry about carrying anything with us. I love these forums! I'm getting so many tips!

We ate la quick lunch at 1ish then went in the latest we were allowed and ate a lot. We were hungry after all the swim fun.

I don't know your kids' ages but the buffet atmosphere works well for us, we are finding. When they can see the good they do a better job of eating than when they order from a menu. And four of mine can carry their own food which is a major help.

 

[rottiemom]

As for Aquatica we will probably do the all day dining option, even though we won't eat our evening meal there, it's still cheaper and means we don't need to worry about carrying anything with us.

There are lockers at Aquatica but I can't imagine running back and forth to retrieve snacks....or loading myself up like a pack mule while at the park. Much better to be free and unencumbered . The all day dining option worked really well for us. And if you're staying at a SW partner property I believe you'd get 10% off of the dining plan? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Last year was out first time at Aquatica and I actually carried no bag at all. It was great to just be able to kick off my shoes and hop on a slide.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

Thanks for your info. Having had a good look I think we will definitely do Dine with Shamu at SW, it looks so much fun for the kids and will be a nice suprise for them. Does anyone know how far in advance we should book that?

As for Aquatica we will probably do the all day dining option, even though we won't eat our evening meal there, it's still cheaper and means we don't need to worry about carrying anything with us.

I love these forums! I'm getting so many tips!

I was able to book it a few days out, but I would not rely on that. Book it when you can! It does have a cancellation policy, however.